Such were the hopes awakened by the Transfiguration and the following miracles that the disciples were led to speculate upon their relative position in the Kingdom. Jesus therefore took a little child for His text, and preached to them a sermon on humility. How constantly the Master speaks of the little ones! He says that we must be converted to become like them; that to cause them to stumble will involve terrible penalties; that they are not to be despised; that each has an angel of the Father's presence-chamber appointed to his charge; that to seek and to save one He is prepared as the shepherd to traverse the mountains; that it is not the Father's will that one of them should perish. How infinitely tender and humble was His love for them!
Let us strive to cut off whatever causes us to stumble. It may be a friendship, a pastime, a pursuit, a course of reading; but there must be no quarter given, no excuse accepted. As soon as the soul dares to make this supreme renunciation, there is an accession of life. Whenever the body loses the use of one member, such as the eye, there is an accession of vigor in others; so, to deny the lower is to open the door to the higher, and, though maimed, to enter into life. Mark 9:44-48 evidently refer to the valley of Hinnom, where fires were kept burning to consume waste. [source]
Chapter Summary: Mark 9
1Jesus is transfigured 11He instructs his disciples concerning the coming of Elijah; 14casts forth a deaf and mute spirit; 30foretells his death and resurrection; 33exhorts his disciples to humility; 38bidding them not to prohibit such as are not against them, 42nor to give offense to any of the faithful
Greek Commentary for Mark 9:33
In the house [en tēi oikiāi)] Probably Peter‘s house in Capernaum which was the home of Jesus when in the city. [source]
What were ye reasoning in the way? [Timothyen tēi hodōi dielogiszethe̱)] Imperfect tense. They had been disputing (Mark 9:34), not about the coming death of the Master, but about the relative rank of each of them in the political kingdom which they were expecting him to establish. Jesus had suspected the truth about them and they had apparently kept it up in the house. See note on Matthew 18:1 where the disciples are represented as bringing the dispute to Jesus while here Jesus asks them about it. Probably they asked Jesus first and then he pushed the matter further and deeper to see if this had not been the occasion of the somewhat heated discussion on the way in. [source]
Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Mark 9:33
Matthew 15:19Thoughts [διαλογισμοὶ] Lit., reasonings (compare Mark 9:33, Rev.), or disputings (Philemon 2:14), like the captious questioning of the Pharisees about washing hands. [source]
Matthew 18:1Who then is greatest [τις αρα μειζων εστιν] The αρα ara seems to point back to the tax-collection incident when Jesus had claimed exemption for them all as “sons” of the Father. But it was not a new dispute, for jealousy had been growing in their hearts. The wonderful words of Jesus to Peter on Mount Hermon (Matthew 16:17-19) had evidently made Peter feel a fresh sense of leadership on the basis of which he had dared even to rebuke Jesus for speaking of his death (Matthew 16:22). And then Peter was one of the three (James and John also) taken with the Master up on the Mount of Transfiguration. Peter on that occasion had spoken up promptly. And just now the tax-collectors had singled out Peter as the one who seemed to represent the group. Mark (Mark 9:33) represents Jesus as asking them about their dispute on the way into the house, perhaps just after their question in Matthew 18:1. Jesus had noticed the wrangling. It will break out again and again (Matthew 20:20-28; Luke 22:24). Plainly the primacy of Peter was not yet admitted by the others. The use of the comparative μειζων meizōn (so ο μειζων ho meizōn in Matthew 18:4) rather than the superlative μεγιστος megistos is quite in accord with the Koiné idiom where the comparative is displacing the superlative (Robertson, Grammar, pp. 667ff.). But it is a sad discovery to find the disciples chiefly concerned about their own places (offices) in the political kingdom which they were expecting. [source]
Matthew 18:2Called to him [προσκαλεσαμενος] Indirect middle voice aorist participle. It may even be Peter‘s “little child” (παιδιον paidion) as it was probably in Peter‘s house (Mark 9:33). [source]
Luke 9:46A reasoning [διαλογισμος] A dispute. The word is from διαλογιζομαι dialogizomai the verb used in Mark 9:33 about this incident. In Luke this dispute follows immediately after the words of Jesus about his death. They were afraid to ask Jesus about that subject, but Matthew 18:1 states that they came to Jesus to settle it. [source]
What do the individual words in Mark 9:33 mean?
Andthey cametoCapernauminthehousehaving beenHe was askingthemWhatonwaywere you discussing
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: Καπερναούμ
Sense: a flourishing city of Galilee situated on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee or Lake of Gennesaret, near the place where the Jordan flows into the lake.
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἐπερωτάω
Sense: to accost one with an enquiry, put a question to, enquiry of, ask, interrogate.
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Middle or Passive, 2nd Person Plural
Root: διαλογίζομαι
Sense: to bring together different reasons, to reckon up the reasons, to reason, revolve in one’s mind, deliberate.
Greek Commentary for Mark 9:33
Probably Peter‘s house in Capernaum which was the home of Jesus when in the city. [source]
Imperfect tense. They had been disputing (Mark 9:34), not about the coming death of the Master, but about the relative rank of each of them in the political kingdom which they were expecting him to establish. Jesus had suspected the truth about them and they had apparently kept it up in the house. See note on Matthew 18:1 where the disciples are represented as bringing the dispute to Jesus while here Jesus asks them about it. Probably they asked Jesus first and then he pushed the matter further and deeper to see if this had not been the occasion of the somewhat heated discussion on the way in. [source]
Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Mark 9:33
Lit., reasonings (compare Mark 9:33, Rev.), or disputings (Philemon 2:14), like the captious questioning of the Pharisees about washing hands. [source]
The αρα ara seems to point back to the tax-collection incident when Jesus had claimed exemption for them all as “sons” of the Father. But it was not a new dispute, for jealousy had been growing in their hearts. The wonderful words of Jesus to Peter on Mount Hermon (Matthew 16:17-19) had evidently made Peter feel a fresh sense of leadership on the basis of which he had dared even to rebuke Jesus for speaking of his death (Matthew 16:22). And then Peter was one of the three (James and John also) taken with the Master up on the Mount of Transfiguration. Peter on that occasion had spoken up promptly. And just now the tax-collectors had singled out Peter as the one who seemed to represent the group. Mark (Mark 9:33) represents Jesus as asking them about their dispute on the way into the house, perhaps just after their question in Matthew 18:1. Jesus had noticed the wrangling. It will break out again and again (Matthew 20:20-28; Luke 22:24). Plainly the primacy of Peter was not yet admitted by the others. The use of the comparative μειζων meizōn (so ο μειζων ho meizōn in Matthew 18:4) rather than the superlative μεγιστος megistos is quite in accord with the Koiné idiom where the comparative is displacing the superlative (Robertson, Grammar, pp. 667ff.). But it is a sad discovery to find the disciples chiefly concerned about their own places (offices) in the political kingdom which they were expecting. [source]
Indirect middle voice aorist participle. It may even be Peter‘s “little child” (παιδιον paidion) as it was probably in Peter‘s house (Mark 9:33). [source]
A dispute. The word is from διαλογιζομαι dialogizomai the verb used in Mark 9:33 about this incident. In Luke this dispute follows immediately after the words of Jesus about his death. They were afraid to ask Jesus about that subject, but Matthew 18:1 states that they came to Jesus to settle it. [source]